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Winemaker's Notes:

"Cupcake vineyard works hard to craft the richest, smoothest and elegantly-textured wines. This full-bodied yet smooth merlot displays supple tannins with flavors of red cherries that evolve into decadent levels of cocoa and espresso and a smooth finish. Reminiscent of that chocolate cherry cupcake that used to call for you at the corner bakery. Serve with pork tenderloin with a port-fig reduction sauce or decadent chocolate molten cupcake.” -Winery

My Wines

My Cellar

Our winery is located in Monterey County, California where warm days give way to cool nights as the fog rolls in off of the Pacific Ocean. It’s this cooling influence that slows the growing process, increasing the time the grapes “hang” on the vine and thereby allow our grapes to mature a little slower than in hotter regions. Slow growth and cool weather leads to a more bal... Read more

Our winery is located in Monterey County, California where warm days give way to cool nights as the fog rolls in off of the Pacific Ocean. It’s this cooling influence that slows the growing process, increasing the time the grapes “hang” on the vine and thereby allow our grapes to mature a little slower than in hotter regions. Slow growth and cool weather leads to a more balanced level of acids and sugars, thereby adding to the complexity and structure of the wines of the Central Coast. This region is poised to become one of the newest and most exciting viticultural opportunities in the coming years. This slow pace continues in our cellar where we take the time to craft wines that are complex, rewarding and hand made. Gentle pressing, cool fermentation, malolactic fermentation, and long barrel aging in small barriques allow us to elevate our wines so that they are rich, creamy and downright delicious. Our winemaker, Adam Richardson has since added a few additional wines from other cool climate regions to augment our portfolio and match up with additional cupcake profiles, like our Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Yakima Valley Riesling, and Mendoza Malbec. Go ahead, live deliciously. Read less

Member Reviews for Cupcake Vineyards Merlot

Considering this bottle sells for $7 most places, it's hard not to appreciate its rich fruit flavors and chocolate undertones. Yes, the wine is a bit rough around the edges and feels like it could use a few years. Yet, when cash is tight this is a crowd pleaser...

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I decanted for 1/2 hour but it was still rough around the edges on the nose and the alcohol was a just a wee bit too pronounced on the finish.
That being said, I think this wine could be a real winner with another year or two of aging. There's dark fruit and a definite black licorice characteristic on the nose. Great mid palate, fruity but not a fruit "bomb". Nice raspberry and black cherry notes. I thought I detected black currant at first, but after a few more tastes I couldn't place that at all so I think it was just my mind playing tricks on me. The finish is long, but at this point drowned out by the alcohol which is just too much on the back end. All in all a good wine but with potential to be a little better. I bought another bottle for the cellar and will re-evaluate it in 2013. For now it gets a 3 glass rating, but I may bump that up after next time.

Aromas of blackberry, sweet bread and other dark berries. The taste had hints raspberry's, cherry, plum with some very nice lite vanilla oak and clove notes. A nice Merlot that i wouldn't hesitate bringing to a party.

Red Velvet is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah; each variety lending structure, aroma, depth of flavor and a long creamy finish to this wine. The grapes were harvested from some of the finest vineyards of California's viticultural areas; each picked for their ability to engender these grapes with distinct characteristics that will add to this blend. Each varietal was fermented separately and later blended and put through a unique oak regime that imparts a certain creaminess. - Winery

Tasting Notes:

We harvested these tiny berries in the early morning and transported the grapes over to the crush pad. A dense, full-bodied red wine, crafted from the coolest Central Coast areas, this Petite Sirah is anything but petite in flavor. Bursting with dark cherry, blackberry and bittersweet espresso notes, it has a creamy mouthfeel derived by aging a portion of the wine in small oak barrels. This wine is reminiscent of a dark chocolate cupcake with a vanilla berry coulis.

"Cupcake vineyard works hard to craft the richest, smoothest and elegantly-textured wines. This full-bodied yet smooth merlot displays supple tannins with flavors of red cherries that evolve into decadent levels of cocoa and espresso and a smooth finish. Reminiscent of that chocolate cherry cupcake that used to call for you at the corner bakery. Serve with pork tenderloin with a port-fig reduction sauce or decadent chocolate molten cupcake.” -Winery